The Eternal Vow
by someonefromearth
Summary: Arrow reminded Jack of himself: heartbreaking backstory, uncared for, mischievous. Except she was so damaged. How did such an innocent girl end up as a spirit? This isn't a typical love story. An Eternal vow is made when two supernatural souls promise to stick with each other until the end of time. This is the story of how the vow brought these winter spirits together.
1. Obligated to Believe

**So, I ****already have the entire plot directed in my head. Let's see how well I can put it in words! **

Although it was one in the morning, the sky is bright, or put in other words, light pink. Those are some wonders of snow that Jack Frost would never get tired of. In fact, he never gets tired of his abilities. The young guardian recently finished coating the town of Burgess with two inches of snow, enough for the children to play with this Christmas weekend while he was off to celebrate this joyous holiday at the North Pole with his fellow guardians. Jack clanged onto a static pole and smiled a warm smile at the overview. _Jamie's going to love this,_ he thought.

The night was as quiet as a mouse that everything can be heard. That's how the winter spirit caught the clicking and clacking of winter heels strutting down a sidewalk not so far away from him. Squinting, he made out a feminine figure who appeared to be outside in the freezing cold with nothing covering her bare legs from above the knees to her ankles. _What a foolish lady._ He smirked as he came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea and travelled with the wind towards the girl, who he now let her dirty blonde hair fall naturally below her shoulders.

Only a few steps behind her, Jack silently raised his staff and guided the wind to attack her. The – now that he realized – teenage girl was barely affected by the breeze. The spirit decided to try again. This time, she crossed her arms together and sighed. "Stupid wind," she muttered.

He doesn't understand! This trick has succeeded on every single victim, no matter what they always reacted dramatically. Once a crowd of teenagers believed it was a ghost and started a ruckus which woke up the first floor of a retirement home. Jack breathed out a laugh at the memory and continued to watch the girl, amused.

"Young teenager wearing a short dress strolling down the streets in the middle of the night?" He smirked, "Better watch out for strangers who approach you!"

To his surprise, the girl whipped her head around and glared at him with her hazel eyes. She parted her lips. "Like y-," she started but was caught off guard by what Jack Frost assumed was himself. "-ou? Oh my – the white hair – frost – bare feet! You're -!" The teenager couldn't finish her statement and gaped at the spirit in awe, obviously overwhelmed.

The young guardian waved his hand dismissively with his eyebrows raised and faced the ground. "Jack Frost?"

"You're Jack Frost! Wow, it's so nice to finally meet you! I've heard some fantastic stories about you from other children. Oh, I'm Arrow by the way."

He gazed at her with amazement and gives a genuine smile. "Arrow, I've never encountered a teenager who believes in me."

The girl feigned a smile and continued, "Well, sorry to inform you, but I'm somewhat obligated to believe in you." Confused, Jack leans on his staff and furrows his eyebrows and widens his icy blue eyes.

"And…what's that supposed to mean?"

The corner of the girl's mouth twitched up and she responded, "You'll see," before leaving. Something in the tone of her voice tells the young guardian she knows something he doesn't, and that he detests.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, why so mysterious for?" Blondie turns around one last time.

"The more mysterious you are, the more curious others become." With that the clicking of her heels switch onto another corner and the feminine figure was out of sight.

_Well she's right that's for sure._ The winter spirit _was_ curious to know more and ran to catch up with the girl, but when he turned the same corner she did, there was no one. The young teen was gone.


	2. Arrival to North Pole

The streets of Burgess were busy with families bustling in and out of stores on Christmas Eve. Friends were chit-chatting about what they got for each other, businessmen and women switched their suits for a more comfortable (yet hideous) Christmas sweater, and children were running around tackling each other from the snowfall Jack had masterpieced a few nights ago. The lovely winter spirit was just about to leave to the North Pole before he remembered one of the few reasons he visits Burgess so often.

It was not a surprise when Jack arrived that Jamie and his sister were outside building a snowman. At the sight of the winter guardian Jamie's eyes filled with joy and ran up to hug his knees. "Jack Fwost!" Sophie dropped the carrot nose and squealed.

"Hi Sophie!" Jack replied, "Haven't grown much now since the last time I saw you, have ya kiddo?" With that he ruffled Jamie's hair and froze a gigantic heap of snow into a body for the snowman.

Jamie and Sophie heaved the snow-body together on top of the first gigantic snowball. "So, what brings you here, Jack?" The guardian saw the little boy's front tooth has grown fully and smiles.

"I won't be here to wish you guys a Merry Christmas on the day, so I wanted to say it in advance." He crouched down and stabbed the staff into the white fluff for support. He wasn't even positioned properly before the little girl attacked him with dozens of hugs.

"Merry Chrwistmas Jack Fwost!" Sophie screamed in delight. It wasn't until he managed to brush her strands of hair out of his mouth did he see their mother eyeing Sophie with divine curiosity. The young guardian lifted the small amount of weight off of him and stood Jamie's sister up straight.

The mom opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, closes it, then opens it back up. "Sophie, what were you doing?"

The little Bennett squealed once more. "Hug from Jack Fwost!" Jack swore he heard her mutter something referring to her children's "grand imagination" before sighing and walking back inside their home with her arms crossed, but with the wind blowing so hard, it could have been his own mind creating someone else's words. When he turned around Jamie was already decorating the snowman's appearance, from licorice eyes and buttons and awkward tree branches for eyes; typical snowman.

Since he was ecstatic to visit the Pole, he did not fool around and animate the snow figure to scare children. Instead the winter guardian rolled his eyes and informed Sophie, "If you don't stick the carrot into the snowman's face any sooner, he's gonna melt!"

Sophie spinned in the direction where her brother stood. "I wanna stick the nose!" She whined.

"Okay, okay, I wasn't gonna do it, stop freaking out," Jamie grumbled, and shuffled his puny feet towards Jack. "Happy Holidays Jack, but when will you come back?" the Guardian's favourite child questioned.

Jack Frost took this question into consideration. He never decided to come back, just when the time was right, he would return. "I'm guessing after New Year's, all the Guardians, sprites, spirits, protectors of the Earth and immortals are spending their vacation at the North Pole. There _will_ be plenty of guests, and I have to meet everyone. You know, because I'm new and all." He shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

The little boy looked down. "Well okay, when are you leaving? Tell Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and the Easter Bunny I wish them a Merry Christmas too."

The pale Guardian lifted Jamie's chin up and beamed at him. "I will," then he smirked, "and right now." Right away he soared up and glided along with the breezy wind. He glanced back down at the Bennett household and waved one last time before speed-flying to another one of his favourite locations – North's home.

Jack arrived by the speed of wind at the same time as Bunnymund by the speed of his legs. They squint at each other before initiating a race via eye contact and dash straight to the red building.

"I'm gonna win Bunny, no need to try!" Jack teased the other Guardian.

"You might have to fly faster than that to beat me, mate," his fellow Guardian responded, "Careful, wouldn't want to wear yourself out, would you?"  
"There were about three kilometers for Bunny did a quick sprint, therefore beating the Jack at his own race.

The two friends enter the party two separate ways: Bunny walked in through the main entrance where the Yetis greeted him warmly, while Jack clime din from a guest bedroom window like he used to before he was granted permission to be here. Of course, he made it to the center of the party before the Easter Guardian did, where all the spirits gathered and enjoyed each other's company. Right smack in the middle of everyone though, stood everybody's favourite Santa Claus; or as the Guardians call him, North. When the jolly man spotted the pale-faced boy he eyes lit up and he scooped his arms up into the air.

"Jack Frost!" He shouted, loud enough only a few nearby heard, "Welcome to your first Christmas party – hosted by me! Haha! Cookie?"

The winter Guardian playfully snatched a chocolate chip cookie from one of the serving elves trays and bit into it. "So North, who am I supposed to meet?"

North's pupils enlarged. "Jack! I want you to meet another winter immortal. If you have never seen her I will be surprised. She is one of Tooth's close friends, anyway." He rested his hand on the young boy's shoulder and stared meaningfully at him for five seconds before yelling out, "CUPID!"

Behind the large man stood a girl with her dirty blonde hair tied in a braid and wearing a one-shouldered white dress twirled around. She was holding a glass of what appeared to be cranberry juice and was in the middle of a conversation with the Tooth Fairy. "Don't call me that!" She snapped, but as soon as she caught Jack's eyes the glare dropped and she smiled. Jack eyed the female specimen for a moment before dropping the cookie he held in his hand, jaw agape with shock.

"Arrow?!"


	3. Believe Me

"Jack!" Arrow beamed at him. Her hands were shaking and she nearly dropped her mug of apple cider. The winter guardian does not comprehend what is in front of his eyes. A few nights ago, he encountered a sweet young lady walking on a lonely sidewalk of Burgess in the middle of the night. Now, not only has the sweet young lady transferred into some sort of spirit, she was acknowledged as Cupid as well. Wait a minute...  
_ Walking on the streets by herself fearlessly, almost unaffected by his cold wind, obligated to believe in him, but most of all her name is Arrow, as in the bow and arrow…  
_It all clicked together.  
Nervously, Jack stepped towards the immortal, squinting at her like an unidentified object while she kept her focus on him. Her facial expressions changed from content to irritated. "I'm immortal get over it," she snapped.

"That's why you're obligated to believe in me, you're Cupid," Jack worded breathlessly just when another thought popped in his head, "Wait – where are your bow and arrows?"

"I –" Arrow seemed hesitant to answer, "it's in my room," she sighs.

The winter Guardian took no notice of her annoyance and continued rambling. "Wow, I always thought Cupid was a boy. Or a baby at least," he chuckled. "You could have just told me who you were, but _noo_, 'I'm so mysterious, I let everyone believe my name is Arrow-'"

"That's because my name _is_ Arrow!" She snapped. Half the room turned their heads, including Sandman. Christmas Eve is supposed to be a time of fun and joy! But these two spirits were ruining it. Sandy gestured at them to banter in one of the guest bedrooms so no one would notice the negative air spreading across Santa's workshop, however of course, they don't see him. Well, Arrow did. She just did not bother to follow his instructions.

"Look, I work way too hard every winter for some delusional, young immortal girl to throw lies in my face. The solution to this is simple: Just admit you're the symbol of Valentine!"

Her eyebrows drooped with pity. "Jack, I must not tell lies. I really, am not Cupid."

The young spirit glared at her. "If you're not Cupid, then who are you?"

Green-eyed blondie's look of pity disappeared immediately as she throws her arms up in frustration. "_Have you not been listening the whole time?" _She groans. "My name is _Arrow. _I don't like when people call me Cupid because I am _Arrow._ I'm working as Cupid, but at the end of the day, I identify myself as _Arrow." _

Gripping onto his staff for support, Jack leaned forward frowning. "I'm gonna need you to elaborate on that."

The blonde bombshell inhaled a deep breath as if she was about to explain herself, then took it back and folded her arms. She uncrossed her arms and let another groan escape. "Can we talk about this later? After the party's finished? I haven't been to North's since the last holidays and would like to interrogate the leprechaun for my constant bad luck." Without even given a response she sipped her apple cider and stormed off.  
"Whatever," Jack shrugged it off and froze an elf before he introduced himself to other protectors of the Earth and reunited with Tooth.  
"You've got to give Arrow some space Jack, she protects herself with a witty demeanor because of reasons," Tooth mentioned.

But Jack couldn't get his mind off of Arrow. The immortal was hiding something from him that everybody else seemed to be in the know of. The white-haired boy sat glumly on one of North's staircases with one knee up, perched his staff on the floor and became – once again – invisible in the crowd of spirits.

It seemed like eternity before eleven 'o'clock struck and the invitees bid their farewells while ones who stayed wished others a good-night. Unlike the rest, the winter Guardian slipped in between anyone who was blocking his pathway. He needed to find Arrow – or Cupid's – bedroom.

From a pedestrian's perspective, all the doors were equally the same. That is, you could only tell whose room is whose by reading the labels. Turns out the guest bedroom floors were divided by seasons, and it took Jack four seasons to realize the pattern.

One of the doors the young boy found on the winter level labeled "Cupid". "& Arrow" was messily carved underneath the label. _Must have been the work of the Yetis, _Jack thought to himself, _this must be her room._ The door was not fully closed; she must have been expecting him. Gentle enough not to wake anyone else up, he rapped on the mahogany and awaited permission to enter.

"Come in," a muffled voice from behind said. Jack silently slipped through the gap left open and twisted the doorknob back into the dent. Arrow was not wearing the white dress she wore an hour ago, instead she changed into another set of white robes. She did not acknowledge the Guardian of Fun and continued staring out the window since he walked in, so the winter spirit assumed this meant to make himself feel at home. Without making a single noise, he tiptoed to the edge of her bed, careful not to step on any creaky floorboard.

Once he smoothened the bedspread and sat down, one did not wait for further instructions. "Care to explain this whole Cupid/Arrow dilemma now?"

Cupid/Arrow crinkled her nose. "You're not one for small talk, are you?"

"I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put it like that –" Jack began to stammer but the girl interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Me neither." This time she looked at him while saying it. "I mean, I don't like small talk either."

They watched each other for a few moments, mentally exchanging apologies plus a feigned smile.

"Anways, let me begin."


	4. Arrow's Story

"I lived in a castle, the Kazaar Palace you see. I was –"

"The princess," Jack interrupted. Arrow glared at him.

"No…I was the daughter of a duchess. Now let me continue."

The young boy smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"I was the daughter of a duchess, and nobody appreciated my existence very much. 'You are just as important as the princess,' or 'You're friends with the princess because you're at her class!' It was all a lie. The Princess was hundreds of times more beautiful, admired, loved, and cared for. Sometimes my own parents put her ahead of me. I guess it made sense, seeing she is royalty and if she ever died the kingdom collapsed. However, it still wasn't fair how I, their very own daughter, was not their first priority. In fact, that pissed me off badly. My parents always put others before me. I have an example. The king and queen threw a feast once. My father – a knight – made sure all the little boys got their meals first. Then, he checked to see if the older boys got some. It was after all the children and royal members of the family received their servings did he ask me if I've eaten. I didn't, and when he came back with my food, it was literally mostly scraps. His excuse? 'Don't be so selfish.' Yes, I became friends with Princess Liliander. She was one of the most generous people I have ever met. Princess taught me how to make daisy chains in the fields, showed me her secret hiding spots whenever she wanted privacy, and together we spied on other people's business. It was a teenage girl's dream back in the Middle Ages. We played with a group of girls, but Liliander and I were the closest to one another. I think some of the other royal family children were jealous. Oh – Lili and I, we were cousins, by the way. My mother and her mother never bonded well, but when they finally had the courage to introduce us, we instantly clicked. I've grown to love her like a sister. Lili told me herself that 'If our kingdom ever goes into war, I'll protect you and your family.'"

Arrow cleared her throat before she continued. "Eventually, we did go into war. I forgot why, it's been centuries since it happened. Servants, butlers, and a few knights ushered us into multiple rooms with no windows. Once again, the duchess and her husband played hero and heroine and stuffed all the children they found in several hiding spots and ended up getting shot by arrows in one of the towers."

Jack heard her sniffle underneath the blonde curls which covered her appearance. She raised her arms and wiped her face with the sleeve of her sleep robe. "You don't have to finish the story if it brings up bad memories. I won't mind," he mumbled. Arrow kept sobbing.

"No, I have to. I promised to tell you. Anyways, the kid was up in the tower because he wanted his daddy, who served as a tower guard, to be with him. He wouldn't let go of his leg, that's what I heard. Mom and Dad sacrificed their lives to save somebody else's. Somebody who had many more years to live. They died for a good cause. Just like the King, the Queen, and Princess. King Kazaar was a good man, he refused to go to safety unless it was certain the villagers were fine. Being the loyal wife she was, the Queen waited with him and both of them ended up getting their heads decapitated. The Princess…" Arrow inhaled a deep breath. "Liliander could have been safe; however, she refused to be protected while her mother and father were dead. She ran after them in the midst of a battle and was spotted by an enemy."

At this point the Valentine spirit stuttered multiple words out. "T-they took and tortured her in w-w-ways only the sick-minded would imagine. They d-did that to all-all the women and did not bring them back until they were f-finished with them. We couldn't flee, soldiers surrounded the area. Only the brave described their torture. Some were traumatized to the point where nothing fazed them. I attempted to hold a conversation with another girl once. She had fresh scars all over her body. I touched her knee to comfort her, but she started screaming and scratched me. I-I was one of the last few they had not taken away yet. Everyone else hated me for it. It was like…they turned their backs on me because of something I cannot control. Well, I wouldn't have blamed them. If I were raped, burned, molested, or anything else and someone else looked perfectly fine and untouched, I would hate them too. Actually, I was half convinced they would beat me to death right on the spot, so I ran away. I forgot how, but I snuck out. Somewhere far off was where my legs took me to. It was all trees and darkness.

For the first few days I felt lost, I _was _lost. It had been four days since I escaped my old life, and I starved and craved for a droplet of water to fall onto my tongue. Everywhere I stumbled I crashed into greenery. Not a single human life existed, at least that was what I assumed. Exhausted, I laid down and looked up at constellations. Right when I was about to pass out, when I was about to regret leaving the women, a wooden cabin lit up behind a cluster of forestry.

It was – it was a miracle, because the cabin belonged to someone very beautiful. That's where I met my lover.

Her name is Meredith. She had mesmerizing jet black hair, green eyes, and moved with a lot of grace for such a badass. She caught my eye contact from a distance from her window. I didn't pay much attention to it, because I was desperate for – well, everything – but now since I have so much spare time in my hands, being able to see precisely must be one of her abilities. Back on topic, she walked out of her home and helped me stumble into safety. She cared for me very gently; never over-feeding me, and let me rest for as much as I desired the first week. After my recovery, begun the most amazing part of my life. She taught me about nature: what berries are edible, how to _not_ scare animals away, walking without making a single noise, and shooting with a hand-made bow she carved for me."

The spirit turned away from the window she'd been starting at from the start but focused her attention at her fellow winter guardian. "We told each other stories of our past before we met, hers mostly involved outdoors, and on the contrary mine about my royal life. Every fourteenth of February she would retrieve her own set of bow and arrows in the forest which I can never find and go on a quest to shoot her arrows at potential lovers in other lands. I was horrified when I witnessed it. She had wings for god's sake! I screamed at her, 'You're murdering the innocent!' Meredith realized she never told me who she really was: Cupid, a mythological creature who shoots arrows which may look and feel realistic, but doesn't pain a human one bit. It was all so bizarre and challenging to take in, I didn't believe her until she let me aim an arrow at a pair of teenagers in China.

People were much more reserved than they are now; the boy kissed the girl on the hand very lightly, and she giggled nervously. You see, I never understood love. It was all too strange to like someone so much you feel the need to touch them – just to verify their existence, that they're real, because your life is surreal whenever they're around. I never understood what love was, that is, until Cupid showed me. We watched the couple from the sky (Yes, Cupid carried me with her wings) and it absent-mindedly slipped out of my mouth. I said, 'I wish someone could have a strong attraction to me.' And then Cupid spun around and pressed her lips against mine. I thought, 'Holy crap! She's kissing me!' I was in a state of shock, I think she felt that she scared me so she pulled away. When she did, I got a little upset. I _liked_ her lips against mine. That's when it hit me – I _liked_ Cupid. She_ liked_ me back. So, what did I do? I yanked her back in for another kiss, a real kiss, and this time I kept record of all the things I liked about it. I liked how soft and warm her lips were, and how perfect they seemed to fit with my lips, how in sync our lips moved, and how I had my hands on her back while she gripped onto my waist. Note all of these events happened above the ground, we were still flying. And…" Arrow kept on rambling, but Jack was caught off guard. Something didn't seem right. Arrow ran away from a palace, into a forest, where she met someone called Meredith, who turned out to be Cupid. Cupid is referred to as a "she", which meant Cupid is female. Arrow liked Cupid. Cupid liked Arrow. Wait a second... the young guardian's jaw dropped, almost similar to when Jamie called his name for the first time. Unfortunately, the blonde spirit noticed and paused her story-telling. The young guardian mentally cursed himself for revealing his emotions.

"Jack is something wrong? I'm positive I did not say anything surprising –"

"You like girls?!" Arrow frowned.

"I did, I loved Cupid. But now I'm uncertain, I mean, when boys this generation hit on me I playfully flirt back, but I – I just – er, uh, um – ugh – what a late reaction! I thought you caught on!" she stuttered, "Jack!"

"I'm sorry!" Jack retorted. "I mean, I'm sorry. I didn't _mean_ to react the way I did. It's just … a lot to take in right now. Like, wow. This occurred centuries ago, too."

Arrow chuckled upon hearing this. "Yeah, I guess we were risk takes when it came to romance."

"…Wow."

"I know."

The blue-eyed boy stared in disbelief for a few more seconds before he shook his head away from his imagination to concentrate. "Okay, yeah, I'm over it now. Continue." He brought his hand out.

"You sure? Everything clear?"

"Ye – no. No, there are a few things I need to clarify."

"Shoot."

Jack breathed in sharply. "Okay, so you and Cupid are two different people. You weren't joking. Your name really is Arrow."

"That's what I changed it to after I took the Eternal Vow and grew myself a pair of wings, not to mention I'm immortal now."

"What was your original name? And what the hell is an Eternal Vow?"

Arrow shot him a look of death. Jack gulped back fear. "Look it up. I'm not wasting my breath explaining terms you should be familiar with."

The winter guardian was not dealing with her gritty attitude. No, not tonight. He stamped his staff on the bedroom floor, which coated the wooden boards with a layer of frost. Arrow immediately flinched and jerked her feet off the ground. 'Hey, whoa, chill. I just want to know what this vow is. And you're not fooling me with this whole bitchy persona. Tooth said you only act this way to hide secrets, therefore –"

"Francine," she barked.

"I – what?"

"That's my name."

Jack's eyes softened. "Francine, that's a pleasant name. Why did you change it?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, "I hate it. And to match. Cupid and Arrow sounds better, don't you think?" The blonde girl glanced at Jack while he dropped his gaze. "You know, we flew over your village once, Jack. I'm quite certain the boy with brown hair was you. He was holding onto his sister with one hand and clenching onto a pair of skates with the other."

The young spirit's gaze averted back to the speaker. He couldn't believe was he was hearing. "Was that the day I –"

"I wish I knew. We didn't stay very long. Cupid did mention how you would have made an excellent dad."

A moment of silence passed the two immortals. Neither of them knew how to finish the conversation, nor did they want to finish. Jack was so close to discovering more about his past life, but once again failed. Overall, it was only fair that he offered an ear to listen to Arrow's story.

"So um," he cleared his throat, "what happened between you and Cupid? No offense, I mean obviously you guys aren't together anymore…"

"Okay, this is hard, so bear with me." Jack could tell she was uncomfortable retelling the events of this moment by her sudden slouched posture. "The Nightmare King attacked for spreading love and joy to the world. It was two against all his duplicates, and while Cupid and I were busying ourselves with ridding his creations, he - he shot an arrow straight into her back. A-and there was nothing I could do! Meredith was the one dying, and I just kneeled in front of her, screaming in her face as nightmare sand flew all around us. _She_ was the one in pain, I should've been whispering soothing words to her, but I panicked, and it was vice versa. She calmly said, 'Be brave, take care of the future lovers for me, okay? You ran away from home once, and found me. Listen carefully Arrow, once I'm gone the Eternal Vow breaks. You'll still have your powers. Do me a favor, search for someone who loves you as much as I do, and never let them go. I'm sorry, I –" and then her body turned into black sand. Those were her last words. She didn't even get to finish. After she was gone, I laid on the pavement, choking on my own tears while black sand swept around me. Eventually, I was engulfed by it and blacked out. The next time I woke up I was still laying down, but on a bed, and the Man in the Moon stood on my bedside. I noticed Cupid's set of bow and arrows leaning against a shelf and everything replayed in my head. I began to bawl all over the sheets while the Man in the Moon rubbed my back. He told me, 'Arrow, the young lovers belong in your hands now. I'm sure Cupid would pass her weapon onto you. Use it like she would.' I laid in bed frigid for the next two days, didn't eat a single bite of food, and only drank water when he came to check on me. I lost all hope in life. There was no point in existing, I thought. Then, it was as if she was watching me. For some weird reason, a voice spoke in my head. 'Would Cupid be happy with you giving up? No! So quit sulking and pull through. You did it once, you can do it again. You'll find happiness again.'"

"That was really cliché," Jack commented.

The teenager pursed her lips together. "It wasn't cliché back then. I stayed in a different town, meeting new people and befriending them. Note I'm immortal, not invisible. Every five years, I made some lame excuse about how I'd be moving to a different state so the habitants don't suspect me of never aging. I switched towns eight times before I spotted her – Baby Tooth. At first I looked right past it, she looks like a Hummingbird! Then I saw some form of face and I went 'Woah there, something's up.' So I followed her until she fluttered into a child's bedroom and dove under their pillow to take their tooth. I was so ecstatic to meet someone else from the supernatural world; I knocked myself into the glass window. Luckily, they didn't wake up, but it sure did catch Baby Tooth's attention. So, I explained everything and she led me to Tooth's Palace, and that's where my happiness was rediscovered. I may not have my love with me, but I have friends now. You too, Jack." She patted the boy on the knee. "It's twelve 'o'clock, you know what that means."

Jack turned three-sixty degrees, yet there was no clock to tell the time. Little did he know his new friend was once again staring out her window. Across from hers was Sandy's bedroom, and a clock tower is built beside it. Indeed, the clock said twelve 'o' clock. The guardian furrowed his salt-and-pepper eyebrows. "That it's late and we should really get some sleep?" He joked. Seriously though, he had no idea what she was hinting off.

"No, stupid!" Arrow clocked him in the head for being so oblivious. "It's Christmas!"

"Ow!" Jack muttered. He crawled into a ball, acting as if he had a concussion.

Arrow face contorted from playful to apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jack –"

"Just kidding. You really think I get hurt that easily?" He got up from the ground and flopped right back onto her bed. Arms behind his head and against the headboard, he shut his eyes close for a few seconds before turning to face Arrow and softly spoke. "Merry Christmas."

"You have a habit of making yourself at home, you know that?" The green-eyed teen chuckled. "No, what I mean is, _stay._ We can pull an all-nighter and get to know each other better. You _are_ the Guardian of Fun." She added with a wink. "We can bring the White Christmas into North's workshop, if you know what I mean."

"Hmm, nah, I think North has presents for us who are staying, I don't wanna ruin that." The winter guardian smirked.

"Oh." Arrow sounded a bit disappointed, but quickly hid it with a feigned smile. "Well in that case, we should hit the hay."

"_Hit the hay?_ Are we from the nineties?"

"People still say that! Now shoo, I'm tired."

"Ooh, Arrow's tired now? Just thirty seconds go she was _begging _the wonderful Jack Frost to stay." He playfully teased.

"Hey, North's paying us a visit, I don't want him to think we have some instant 'connection'."

"Geez, Arrow. You're basically _married _to Cupid. Who does he think you are? Some dirty cheater?"

"The Eternal Vow's complicated! Now leave! Bye," Arrow pushed and shoved Jack as hard as she could but he wouldn't budge. "Okay fine, don't leave," she huffed, "But I'm staying in your room. Where is it?"

"I'm not telling unless you explain this whole 'Eternal Vow' shit. You ordered me to stay and now you're kicking me out?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine! Stay. And find someone else to entertain you with this whole 'Eternal Vow shit'. But this is my room so find someplace else so slumber. You're not sleeping on my bed."

"Simple, wow, this armchair looks pretty comfy," he pat on the armrest, "I think I'll make this my bed for the night."

Arrow crawled under her layers of blankets; however before doing so she grabbed the top sheet and tossed it over to Jack. "Here, for the rest of the night. You might get cold."

The two take a few seconds to absorb what she had just stated. Then, a synchronized laugh filled the room. "My bad." She hid under her blankets so only anything above her nose peeked out. "Merry Christmas Jack," she mumbled under the bedspread.

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

**What do you guys think? I'm not very confident with my work but I just really feel the need to share my ideas with other readers. Tell me how I did, anything is appreciated!**

**And thanks QuillOwl, thunder angel13, and Farrah for the reviews! **


	5. The Truth Shall Not Be Told

"Five!" Arrow shouted with glee.

"Four!" Sandy signaled.

"Three!" Jack waved his staff in the air, jumping with anticipation.

"Two!" The Tooth Fairy squealed.

"One!" Bunnymund exclaimed, eyes full of joy.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FELLOW GUARDIANS! And Arrow," Santa's voiced blared around the workshop. All the little red elves jingled their bells. One of them even pecked another on the cheek, receiving a punch in the face, just like a few months ago. Seeing this, Jack came up with a risky idea to try out.

Using his staff, he hooked onto Arrow's waist and pulled her close to him. "Happy New Year," he wished her quietly so only she could hear.

The immortal can't help but look at him with astonishment. "Happy New Year Jack," she replied before they embraced for a kiss. It was a gentle kiss, but lasted a whole minute, and the two had to pull away to catch their breaths.

"We're so lucky we crossed paths," the winter guardian sighed.

"Yeah," Arrow's cheeks turned a crimson red. Still in Jack's arms, she squirmed a little but he couldn't tell what for. "It's all thanks to Cupid," she continued her train of thought, "for my set of bow and arrows."

The next thing Old Man Winter felt was piercing pain in his gut. He slowly peered below to see what caused it and immediately regretted doing so. Blondie has shot an arrow into his stomach, and he blacked out before he had the chance to collapse.

* * *

Jack jolted up from the armchair he uncomfortably slept on for the past four hours and rolled off due to the lack of space. The dream he just had was alarming; might have symbolized something even. He'll have to confront Sandy later. Right now, there were presents being delivered on North's day; and his sat peacefully next to Arrow's on her wooden desk. Although the winter spirit was of age, that didn't stop him from getting excited as any kid when it came to Christmas presents. He wanted to unwrap it on the spot.

"Jack, it's like four in the morning, get the hell back to sleep," a groggy voice slipped out from underneath the covers.

"But Arrow, North got us presents!" Jack ecstatically whispered, despite the fact everyone else was sound asleep.

No reply.

Disappointed, he heaved himself up onto the armchair and kept himself wide awake. _What if Blondie tries to shoot me while I'm asleep? Maybe that's why she's ordering me to! Aw man, if I die? Do I really die? I mean, I'm dead anyways. Shoot, what if she stays with me until New Year's. Nah she won't do that. She has her own home. Wait, does she? She hangs around in Burgess too!_

Regardless of his never-ending train of thoughts, Jack did eventually sleep again and did not die during the course of the night.

Several days zipped by, and before anyone could call it, the holidays were over. This New Year's was by far _the _best, quote North. When the countdown ended, nothing in particular happened from Jack's dream. Instead, he received a friendly hug, in which he cautiously returned. Speaking of which, Sandman swore he was not poking fun with Jack's dreams lately.

Arrow rested in the workshop for the rest of the holidays, only because Tooth wouldn't let go of her when she tried to flap her wings out and about. The scene itself was quite something. Imagine an angel-like form working her very hardest to fly off but latched onto her legs was a feathery multicoloured half-human half-hummingbird refusing to let her leave. "Arrow, just stay-ay!" Tooth whined, "I haven't interacted with another girl since last Christmas!"

"Oh my darling Tooth, I'm afraid I must part your side, for home sweet home awaits," the green-eyed spirit dramatically reenacted. "I must return and tidy my living space, leaving my house spick and span!" She faked a faint and sighed, almost falling to the ground if it weren't for the soft, golden dreamsand that coiled around her waist at the last second. Even Sandy wanted the Valentine spirit to spend more time with the Guardians.

"B-but that can wait, it's not like there's _someone_ waiting for you to return home!" The fairy accidentally blurted. If they weren't huge enough before, her purple deyes enlarged and her manicured hands slapped over her mouth with shock; disbelieving she just brought up what is forbidden to be mentioned unless initiated by the victim herself. "Oh!" She gasped as Arrow's posture somewhat slumped in defeat.

Everyone held their breaths in except Bunnymund. "A little harsh there Tooth, don't cha think?

"No no Bunny, Tooth is right," Arrow protested. "Meredith's not here anymore, no one really _is_ waiting for me, just the weeds," She tried to fake a laugh but it came out like a weak cry. _No, she's about to break down in front of everyone!_ She can't, she's meaner than that. Jack worried. Last night, when the blonde spirit wailed hopelessly and couldn't stop herself, he was convinced he was the only person who had seen her in her most vulnerable situation. Now, he's not sure about that.

With a sigh, she depressingly dragged her feet in the blinding white snow back into the brick house. Jack immediately followed her trail – well, at least he started to – but a heavy hand gripped onto and squeezed his shoulder, hinting that maybe he shouldn't follow. "She's hurt, North! You think leaving her alone to mope over her feeling is the best idea?"

"She's not looking for someone to talk with, she's looking for someone who understands and listens." The leader scanned around until he found the guardian he was searching for – "Sandy is perfect for that!"

The Guardian of Dreams floated away with a beam spread across his face right at the mention of his name. Jack took his first step before he heard a low grumble. "Don't even think about it." He rolled his eyes and turned to his father-figure.

"Whatever," he groaned. What should he do? Despite the fact it _is_ Santa's workshop, it wasn't guaranteed to entertain you. He can't start a snowball fight, Bunny would get so pissed. Visiting the factory would be useless; he already annoyed Phil enough yesterday by making it snow in the factory and soaking all the stuffed animals. Reading, ha-ha, next joke. What was there for him to learn about? Besides … screw it. If he can't be by his new friend in her time of need he might as well bother whoever prevented him from comforting her.

"I can't find anything to do." Jack worded glumly, in hopes North would buy it.

He did. North heaved with laughter and looked at the young spirit with a mixture of delight and pity. "My dearest Jack, there are plenty of activities for you! You can make an ice sculpture for me, or you can read some books, learn a few things."

"I've been alive for three hundred years, most f history has been seen with my very own eyes. What else is there to know?" he asked. It did not really matter what he would do, for he just wanted everyone else to get off his back so while they go back to their tasks he can sneak into Arrow's room.

"Well, rumor has it someone is a little curious to know what the Eternal Vow is."

Jack squinted at North, skeptical. "And how would you know that?"

The big man shifted his gaze to a different direction and tried his best to avoid eye contact. He began to rub his hands back and forth and shrugged his shoulders repetitively. "I … might have heard about it …" Jack knew he caught him red0handed. "No, I was delivering the presents and heard you two talking about her past, so…I maybe eavesdropped."


	6. The Eternal Vow

**The Eternal Vow**

They say a vow is meant for a lifetime

Add "Eternal" and it's suddenly beyond

Beyond evil, beyond love, beyond reincarnation, beyond forever

Take this vow and one shall be granted

With the strengths and capabilities of two

Take this vow and two always link back to one

No matter the time, the situation,

The era, the condition

Two souls become one love

Said love conquers all.

Break this vow and lose more than you've got

Bid farewell to your powers, immortality, and rot

On the grounds of Earth

You'll begin a new life

Where fairytales are told to children

Who can one day murder with a knife

In this world,

Some have loved

Some have fooled

Some have protected

Some have ruled

It was meant for love with no boundaries,

Yet as haunting as it may seem

Each couple has ended disastrously.


	7. Take Me Home

****(I'm not sure if you are the same Guest, it's likely but just to be safe I'm separating the replies. If you logged on and reviewed I PMed a reply :] )

**weapons(Guest) - **That's great! I'm glad it caught your attention. I know it sounds kinda cliche, but it's quite gravitating! Hope you continue to read on.

**straight(Guest) -** I won't push I think the key to enjoying this story is to be open-minded. Arrow's interest in girls is another reason why she is different from all the other OC's Jack falls for, in my opinion. You never know, anything could happen... :]

* * *

A snowstorm fell on top of the remaining guardians. Jack raised a tantrum. "Why were you eavesdropping?!"

"Whoa, mate, settle down. It was not like you said anything you wanted no one to hear – did you?"

"_No_, but what if?! What if? Dammit, there's a _reason_ why we didn't just have that conversation in the middle of your workshop, North! Do any of you know of such thing called _privacy?" _

"Jack, er - please listen to me. We are only trying to help you. I only brought this up because I thought you would – you would like to know what the Eternal Vow is!" North stuttered, unable to defend himself.

All was silent except for the faint whistle of the wind. While Tooth and her baby fairies hid behind the scene, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus hovered over Jack Frost, but the winter guardian feared them not. Surely they were larger, and more muscular – way more muscular than Jack, the teenage boy knew he could freeze them to death in just a few seconds. Good thing he can tolerate with them. Neither of the two knew what to say. Jack knew it was wrong to yell at North, it was all because of impulse. It's always because of impulse. He can never control his emotions. Maybe the Man in the Moon made the wrong choice. Jack Frost is supposed to be childhood guardian who brought winter winds, snowfalls, and, obviously, frost loved by children. Instead, he's an angst-y, emotional, cocky, teenage immortal who should be in college yet here he is playing with kids and that's exactly what what he'll be doing for eternity. Is that even normal? Is this what he has been destined to do since the beginning, ever since he was Jackson Frost? Because it sure as hell sounded like a miserable life.

Unique snowflakes floated down, reaching for a spot to land on. One landed back on his staff. _His staff. _What made his staff so special? Besides the fact he saved his sister with it. He traded his sister's safety with his life. Was it worth it? Of course it was. He's rather die himself than watch his sister die. That must have been the worst moment in her life; having to watch her brother drop into the freezing pond and there was nothing she could do to rescue him without dying herself in the process. Did she kneel on the ice crying for him to come back? She must have. She couldn't have just walked away. Jack was several feet below the surface; he doubted anyone from the village had the courage to look for him. When did she drag herself up after crying for who knows how long? What did she tell mother when she asked where he was? How did his mother react? Sometimes Jack wished he just turned into a ghost, instead of a spirit which the Man in the Moon chose. Actually, he always wished that. If he were a ghost, he would have the answer to all these questions.

A warm hand pressed on his shoulder reminded him where he was. The white-haired teen shook his thoughts out of his head , but North could tell something was bugging him. "If you want to say something, you can."

Jack contemplated this for a second. "No, even if I did tell you, there's nothing you can do about it. No offense." There really wasn't. It's not like he could jump into the middle of the road and end his life like _that_. He'd have to be visible for the driver to hit him. And barely any children outside of Burgess believe in Jack Frost. A shiver ran down his spine. A shiver of eternal loneliness. It wasn't like he was alone, he's got the guardians, Jamie and Sophie. However, there is not one single person existing on planet Earth who would take their time to hear out his problems. The winter spirit bet on that.

Now's not the right time to have these thoughts. Hell, it's not even the right place. Jack kept travelling into the back of his mind; that was a habit of his. Then he'll have to ask the person to repeat what they were saying. That's why he sucks at multitasking. See? Guess where he just was? In the back of his mind.

"Sorry, did any of you say anything? I wasn't listening," he innocently admitted and glanced up at North. Frustration. He shifted his eyes to Bunnymund. Clear annoyance. Tooth fluttered her wings and frowned. The young guardian was about to search for Baby Tooth when a sharp needle poked him on the cheek. "Ow," he muttered.

"Jack, my friend, you should – uh – start – Baby Tooth stop! – paying closer attention to your surroundings." While the jolly old man was speaking Tooth's duplicate kept pecking at him and squeaking.

"Hey, hey, hey, she's looking out for me! Don't be so harsh on her," Jack protested, but his heart wasn't into it. The boy only felt the need to say it because Baby Tooth is the closest thing he had for his own guardian.

At this point he's in the back of his mind again. The guardians were discussing some important matters. Well they were trying to but Tooth always had to pause mid-sentence to scold Baby Tooth. None of them even gave attention to Jack. Maybe they got tired of him. "Wind, take me home," he whispered. Again, no reaction. Not even the cold breeze hinted anything. The guardians minus Sandy continued their conversation as if nothing happened. It was almost like he physically existed, but was invisible to everyone's eye. Well, there will always be one kid he can count on if he wanted to be seen. _It's about to be a long flight,_ the winter spirit thought to himself.

It only took a few seconds for Arrow to notice the change in direction the petit snowflakes flew though.

* * *

**Alright guys, I think I'm gonna try and create Arrow on the Sims 2 just so you guys can get a visual of her :] **


	8. Newborn Problems

"You didn't have to do that, Jack."

"No, it was necessary."

"They didn't deserve it."

"Yeah, they did. "

"Well, I don't want you to pull any tricks on them anymore!"

"Aw come on Jamie, they were bullying you!" The boys were walking back from the park, where Jamie insisted to go sledding – Jack Frost version. A few older kids spotted Jamie flipping and surviving lethal falls off high hills and decided to make fun of him about it. They threw snowballs, "accidentally" knocked him over and encouraged others to laugh at Jamie as well.

Jamie didn't want to cause a scene (although everyone's eyes were already trained on him), but his sidekick did. Jack threw snowballs out of nowhere and the bullies became pissed off. "Where the hell is all this shit coming from?!" One of them roared as he dodged an oncoming icicle, "What the – no – fuck – what the fuck is this? You're dead, kid! I'll fuck you up!" Jack had to cover Jamie's ears as they ran away.

"I know, but now they think it's me and they're going to come after me more," the kid worried, "Don't do that next time."

The young spirit rolled his eyes. He could not believe what came out of Jamie's mouth. Does he really believe ignoring the problem would solve it? They've got to take revenge! "Whatever. But if they make fun of you again, tell me alright? I'll notify the Tooth Fairy and maybe she can do something about it."

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore." Jamie tugged his sled ahead of Jack, hiding his dragged-down face. The winter guardian mentally hit himself for hurting his favourite kid's feelings and walked a few steps behind him like Jamie wanted in the first place. Little flecks of snowflakes slowly drift onto the sidewalk. One of them lands on Jamie's face.

The two of them trotted along the sidewalk in pure silence. You could probably hear a car honk from three miles away (you probably won't). As tree branches sway in sync, Jack thought up a list of possibilities as to why Jamie was in such a foul mood. Did something happen between him and his parents before Jack arrived? Is he building jealousy against Sophie? What about bullies? Is he being made fun of at school for believing? The winter guardian shook his head to indicate the last idea was complete and utter nonsense. Nonsense, nearly every child in Burgess believes in the guardians.

Jack's second favourite greeted them with a platter of heart-shaped cookies when they arrived at the Bennett's. "Valentine's Day!" she squealed in excitement. "Cookie?"

Jamie tugged at the back of the winter spirit's hoodie. This is their signature move when either of them wanted to warn the other about something. Jack delicately took a cookie and stuffed it in his pocket. "Thanks Soph, I'm gonna save this for later. You know, in case I get hungry or something."

Little Bennett leaned his sled against the wall and sighed. The winter spirit sensed something was off. "So, Valentine's Day is tomorrow Jack, have _you_ got anything special planned?" he added with a smirk.

"Uh, _no_," Jack snickered. Him doing romantic gestures? In an alternate universe perhaps. "What about you?"

"I wish, that way I could leave the house for a longer time." He furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity.

"How come?"

Jamie looked behind him to see if his mother was watching him. He glowered and whispered, "My mom's been pretty sad these few days. This happens every year around Valentine's Day, but I've never walked in on her crying." His eyebrows curved upwards and bit his lip gently.

"Well what did you do?"

"Nothing!" he freaked, "I didn't know! Everyone's been acting weird lately: Pippa ran away from us yesterday when we asked her to join our snowball fight," Those big brown eyes filled with ideas enlarged and gleamed at Jack with hope. "You can do something can't you? Find someone to make her happy again. Like, the Guardian of Happiness or something!"

There was no Guardian of Happiness, but there sure was a special spirit dedicated to work during this time of the year, Jack thought suspiciously, I'll just have to find her. His eyes narrowed as he beamed down at Jamie. "I have something in mind, don't worry, I just need to find her."

"Oooh, so it's a 'her'," Jamie smiled at Jack with his smug face while the white-haired teen rolled his eyes at his favourite kid.

"Yeah, yeah, hey, you know Cupid? Well, she's sorta like that."

The boy's eyes widened with enthusiasm. "Wow! Who is she?"

"She's-" Rainbows danced across the sky. Everyone who saw began shouting, snapping pictures and pointing. Jack wasn't. "She's Arrow." Jamie was about to say something but he interrupted. "Listen I gotta go – that's North's signal."

And with that he ran a head start to catch up with the wind. He didn't even hear his little boy wish him luck.


	9. Confucius

When Jack landed on the windowsill of North's palace, their emergency meeting was already in session.

"We should have never let her go! She should have left with the other guests, or never left at all! We are in trouble!" His heavy accent echoed off the walls as the blue-eyed boy landed gracefully on the leader's soft rugs.

"Hey, hey! There's _no need_ to raise your voice." He warned with such kindness everyone else relaxed their shoulders a little bit. "What's going on?"

"Well surely you know Jack, you were just with little Bennett!"

Mouth agape and eyebrows pointing at opposite directions, Jack complained, "You activated the aurora lights and ordered all of us here because of Jamie's mom?! Are you being serious?"

"No, Jack! It's not just about Jamie and his family! It's happening –" the jolly old man traced a circle with his hands, "Everywhere! And there's only one person responsible for all these love problems, and she's not doing her job!"

The winter guardian chuckled. "How lazy can she ge – ow!" Sandy punched him on the leg and began creating images of bows and arrows shattering.

Tooth fluttered towards Jack; blurring his vision with waves of purple and green. It was beautiful – but hypnotizing. "You really think she's just being lazy Jack? This is her responsibility passed on by Cupid. I doubt she's just 'too lazy' to fix things."

"Um…I have no idea where you're going with this," Jack replied, confuzzled. Once again Sandy creates a clutter of sandy floating objects that he could not make out.

"What we are trying to say is Jack," North whispered harshly, "We think Cupid is in danger."

"Arrow," Bunny corrected. "And what makes you think she's in danger? Just because she's not doing her only job doesn't mean she's in any sort of trouble. She's probably just not paying any attention to what's going on outside of her ancient cottage?"

_Ancient cottage? Now I wanna see that!_ "I – I'll volunteer to check up on her. That's where I was headed to, anyways, before you guys called me up."

The jolly old man roared in laughter, hands on top of his belly. "Oh Jack, I don't think you have a choice!" He pointed up at the window. "Man in Moon chose _you_ to find her. He said to use your instincts!"

"My instincts? What-?"

"We don't know." North cut him off. "Think about it! Okay guardians, carry on with your duty." With that the big four all separated to opposite directions and the young boy was left by himself, in the middle of the workshop. Where to go, where to go?

He felt a little tug on his pant leg, and looked down to see the Sandman. "At least you didn't abandon me, can I follow you?" The little man smiled smugly and nodded.

The two walked on top of guy wires in the outskirts of Vancouver, British Columbia as Sandy spread his dreamsand all across the oversnowy city to Canadian children. "I did a great job here, didn't I Sandy?" Jack joked. The Sandman of course, was not pleased. He kept sending his magic through the bittersweet air. "What does he mean to use my instincts? How will I know how to get there if I don't even know where she lives?"

Sandy stopped sending dreamsand for a moment to squint his eyes at Jack.

"What? Come on, don't give me that look. I really don't know!"

The golden man shaped an image similar to the statue in Burgess, in hopes the winter guardian will understand. "Fly back to my hometown? Is that where she is?" Sandman, shook his head, frustrated. "You know Sandy, sometimes I wish you could talk."

He stretched his arm out to play with the dreamsand swirling around him. It felt like the beads you'd find in those beanie cushions. Upon contact with it, bows and arrows danced around Jack. Sandy smirked. "What," Jack turned around and threw his hands up in the air lightly, "I've been thinking about Arrow lately. No big deal, we're friends, and I wonder what she's been up to. What – no! I don't love her! Don't point that golden heart at me, Sandy," he tried to whack the dreamsand heart out of his face. "She's gorgeous, but no."

The two of them fly over the great city and land on top of a pillow of snow. Jack fell backwards and began making a snow angel. "I wish the man in the moon would speak to me himself, it's like he doesn't trust me or something!" He glanced over to the Sandman, who's building a tower of snowballs, "Help me out here?" His fellow guardian stuck his index finger out. "Aw, yeah, is that the best idea you've got? Wait? I don't have much time here, Sandy! Arrow could be dying this second and my excuse is that I'm waiting for further instructions." He snapped. Sandy, however, continued making snowballs.

Silence swept through them. No car horns, no flashing lights, just little flecks of snow that landed on Jack's nose. He couldn't help but admire his own work. All these little happy moments taken for granted, hated on, shoveled away. For some particular reason, the young spirit felt this was one of his most memorable moments. Everything was perfect in this moment. He could stay like this forever. But, then again, he can't. Something bothered the winter spirit. "Hey Sandy, have you ever fell in love?"

No response.

Jack slowly got up from his comfortable position, some snow slipping off of his snow-coloured hair as well. There was no sign of his fellow guardian in sight. "Sandy?"

He walked a few steps around his surroundings with his staff pointed out go guard him, somewhat afraid of what's hidden behind the forests. Then he felt a tug on his pant leg and immediately shot ice at that direction. Luckily, Sandman hopped away just in time. "Holy crap, Sandy! Not funny!" he was about to shout when a golden finger was placed on his lip, shushing the winter spirit. The faint whistling of wind could be heard miles and miles away. Jack at first didn't interpret his message. What was he supposed to be listening for? Should he be armed and ready? What was Sandy trying to get him to hear? Was it the wind? The wind? Oh…the wind. "You're telling me, I should go with the wind?" His friend created three shapes on top of his head at once : a few squiggly lines, and arrow pointing right, and a house. "Wind, take me home," Jack whispered. He didn't need a dreamsand translator to understand that.

"So, you're saying – I can ask the wind to take me to Cu – Arrow's cottage?" The Sandman nodded eagerly, ecstatic someone finally could read his messages, but his smile immediately wiped off when Jack asked, "God Sandy, why didn't you say something?"

There was an awkward moment of silence until the winter spirit grabbed his staff and began climbing to the top of a tree. "Kidding! See, it's not fun being teased is it?" When he reached the highest branch, he shouted his familiar call, "Wind, take me to Arrow's cottage!"

**I really didn't want this chapter to end like this, but if I didn't upload it tonight, I'd be so disappointed in myself. Who got their Rise of the Guardians DVD yesterday? Anyone got the hopping eggs as well? :] **


	10. Cabin in the Woods

The course of the wind guided Jack through multiple shades of forestry on his journey to Arrow's lodge – cabin – whatever. The vibrant oranges, greens, _purples,_ and coated white changed by the minute. Jack was astonished by this once-in-a-lifetime view. He would have never taken this route – there was no need to pass by countries which never snowed; he would have passed out quicker than a polar bear in the desert. But the wind kept him cool, and allowed him to fly through exotic islands and abandoned cities – tragically beautiful.

The trip lasted longer than the white-haired teen had planned – turns out the wind carried him to his destination the long way. He ended up travelling around the globe from the North Pole to America to Asia to Europe. Couldn't it have just taken him down south the right direction?

Jack stopped spinning around at top speed when they reached closer to the popular European countries – specifically France. His eyes diluted from concentration as he began to worry. The winter guardian barely had any basic knowledge of the French language – how was he supposed to ask the commoners where a girl like Arrow would live? Oh wait, he can't ask them. They won't be able to hear (at least that saves him from embarrassment). He crossed his fingers in hopes the wind was generous enough to send him to the exact location. Meanwhile, Jack enjoyed his ride and did a bit of sightseeing to lighten up his mood. He knew he couldn't at the Eiffel Tower all day long, for the death of Arrow meant the death of himself when he gets back empty-handed. Plus, did he mention the wind hasn't stopped carrying him yet? Jack flew further and further away from the flickering lights of Paris and into the outskirts where random homes would sit on top of heaps of snow. But that's not where he landed.

Jack kept gliding deeper and deeper into the dark and lonely forests. By now there was not a single house or human in sight – just forest animals to accompany him. The winter guardian began wondering if his instructions were clear. What if there was an abandoned town in France named arrow? He can't handle that; sure Jack has been alive for over three hundred years, however that doesn't mean he would go back to the colonial times if he could.

Many more doubts and worries began to flood Jack's mind as he continued avoiding bushes and dodging tree branches like it was a video game. God, the things he would do to go back in time a few weeks. Instead of going to North's for Christmas he should have stayed with Jamie and snuck into his house for a plate of his mom's infamous gingerbread cookies. He could have watched little Jamesters and Sophie unwrap their sweet, sentimental gifts and gave him a Christmas present too. Now the young spirit is trapped dealing with problems which don't affect him in any way whatsover and problems that weren't his in the first place. So, why did the Man in the Moon choose him to look for Arrow?

Jack was so intrigued in his own mind that he was oblivious to the fact the wind had quit blowing a minute ago. Yes, as predicted, he did in fact land in the middle of a forest. Up ahead was an eye-catching, cleared out site though. The circular land was lit up by lanterns strung from tree branch to tree branch and clusters of fireflies.

But what stood out the most was the wide log cabin settled at the back of this wondrous playplace. All the lights were on; perhaps to fit with the ambient scenery, or there was a massive group of residence in there.

_Please be Arrow's house, please be Arrow's house, please be Arrow's house,_ Jack chanted repetitively in his head each step he took close to the home.

By the time he reached the door he was ever so slightly nervous. "Okay," he said to himself, "The faster you enter the faster you'll get out. Just knock." Immediately after the pep talk he rapped on the door with less than a second of hesitation.

There was no response, but the young guardian could hear a "clang" of equipment being rustled around. "Hello?"

The light emitting from the window on the left just a few seconds ago was now switched off. "I know you're in there," Jack squinted at the window, clearly started to become irritated by this hide-and-seek.

Fatigue dwelled over him. The white-haired boy leaned against the door, half of the reason is for support, the other half was that maybe there was a slight chance the door wouldn't make a good support and fall over. Well, Jack was partly correct.

In the slight second he quit using his legs and pressed his back against the wooden door, it swung open and he slammed onto the floor butt first. He landed with a soft thud. _Of course, cow skin rug. _

It took him a few seconds to blink back to consciousness, but even as he did he felt uncertain whether or not he was seeing things. The cabin … didn't look like anything the spirit would have pictured from the outside. To his right, a lovely sitting area with a brick fireplace. On the right a study desk is pushed against a wall; a laptop sitting by itself alone. And in front of him was the most modern kitchen he had seen – it might as well have been a fortress; kitchen islands with steel countertops surrounded the black tiles, a beautiful silver cooking stove fit in the middle of all the mahogany counters and _a box of pizza_ sat on one of them fresh.

"Okay, whoever lives here, if you can hear me, hi, I'm Jack Frost, and I'm looking for a girl named Arrow? Maybe you know her by Francine? She has long, naturally blonde hair, and she always wears white. " Jack turned the corner past the kitchen and sitting area to be revealed with more divided rooms. It reminded him of something… something that looked bigger than it did on the outside.

No more matter how many times he tried to get the owner to speak, all he heard was silence. Frustrated, he spun around in a circle, looking for a spot in the cabin to talk to.

He didn't have enough time to react before a knife whizzed straight for his face.

**Um…review? It would mean a lot and get me motivated! :] ThAnK**

**P.S. Anyone notice any references? ;)**


	11. Dark Side

_Blink._

His eyelids refused to open. That's okay, he was exhausted anyways. He forgot why, though that wasn't important. All Jack was concerned about was his need for sleep.

_Blink._

He can't go to sleep. The momentum is gravitating him downwards in a sense so uncomfortable he cannot ignore. Groaning, he attempted to roll to his side, to be pulled back against a solid surface. He turned his head to see what was pulling him back and gasped.

A knife was what was holding him up against the walls of log. Normally in a situation like this, his staff would've be right in his grip and he would have froze the knife in place; but his staff laid on the wooden boards about a feet away from him. The panic inside of him rose as he anxiously kicked behind to free the knife's grasp. He kept kicking and pushing – but it was no use! By now Jack was so frustrated and upset and desperate and done. "Hello?" he beckoned.

No response.

"I know someone's in this house? If you could just – ah – help unpin this knife maybe I can explain why I'm here?"

Still no response. The winter guardian was about to give up when he caught a glimpse of a dark mist – dark mist that belonged to the one and only Pitch Black. Panic arose inside of him once again as the black shadows approached closer and closer… and gently dropped the blade holding him up onto the floor! With a silent _thud_, Jack landed face first on the planks of wood but sprung up immediately.

"Wha – what's going on?"

No. No, he wasn't allowing any more of those filthy black shadows attack the weak. It's about time Jack took charge of something he was nowhere responsible for.

He scampered into the room the gust of black dust withered into only to find – Bunny's assumption correct. Looks like someone had been too occupied with their own lives to keep track of dates. Sprawled on an overslept bed was Arrow; her blonde tousled hair wrapped around her framed face and her nose just peeking out from underneath those locks. Jack wished he could admire the peacefulness of her spirit for just a few more seconds, but those black swirls surrounding her bed were picking up its pace. The young guardian had no time to waste.

He grunted as he aimed his staff and ignited his power to freeze those demons. Just in one moment, the sand froze together and surrounded Arrow's bed frame, as if it was protecting her. With another wave, of his staff the sands broke down and vanished into thin air.

Relief washed over his pale face. For a split second he was convinced he would die and no one would know except Arrow if she woke up. Speaking of which, she isn't awake yet…

Jack violently shook the senses out of her, but whenever he let go her limp body dully hits the surface of her mattress.

"God…dammit, why isn't she waking up?" Even after an entire year of interacting with other people, Jack's still not used to talking directly to humans – or living things to be exact. Feeling hopeless, he cups her baby smooth cheeks in his hands and rubs them with his two thumbs. The corners of her mouth twitch. _Must be the cold_, he thought. Other than that, no sign of movement. It was strange seeing his friend like this. Normally, she'd snap right awake, as if she was never asleep in the first place. He would feel her energy bounce off the walls, or slowly sifting along the air, but not this time. This time, he felt nothing. This time, the only life scattering around the room was his. Just like old times.

His cold feet mindlessly shuffled themselves into the open-spaced kitchen to rummage for something to eat; his taste buds were tingling. The winter guardian settled with slicing himself some cucumbers and squeezed a blob of white salad dressing – whatever that was – onto a plate. Silence flooded the entire cabin for several. Long. Minutes. And it was going to stay that way for several more.

_Crunch._ "And this one's Bunny, hey man, you don't seem to be hearing well, are you missing an ear?" Jack nibbled the tip of a slice of cucumber. "Well now you are!"

He picked up another slice with sharp edges all along. "Tooth, my friend, we've known each other for quite a long while now. I think," he sighed before continuing, "I think it's time one of us sacrifices their life for the other. Sorry Tooth, it's not going to be tonight." He faked a chomp and chewed the fairy shaped cucumber slice with an open mouth. Hey, don't judge, there's no one to be with!

There was one slice left on the plate. One that resembled a shitty apostrophe. "Arrow, I'm sorry I can't carve a braid with my canine teeth. But at least you're still –"

"Awake."

The amount of time it took for him to drop that slice of legume was immeasurable. The time it took for him to register what just happened was immeasurable too, god he felt so stupid. Leaning against the wall was her, a ghostly expression taking over her usual beauty. "Arrow, you woke up," he breathed out.

She didn't say anything else except reply with a millisecond smile. It wasn't a proper smile, either. It was those smiles that don't reach the corner of your eyes; so fake yet so real. Oh no, he knew that smile anymore. It was the smile sad people gave when they were about to cry. One's eyebrows will slant down diagonally, as if one were laughing but the face they make is just a mask to hide how much they want to cry. They need to cry. What felt like a millennium, she finally reached the stool across from Jack and made her first eye contact with him. But Jack didn't see the regular sharp pupils. Her eyes looked much softer, foggy, as if pain was blinding her to see the answer in front. The usual banter, complaints, cheers, and random conversation never hit Jack. Arrow's expression was drained. Her arms rested on her lap where a sweet innocent schoolgirl would place them. Shoulders were hunched forward. Head lowered. Casual breathing.

Then the waterworks hit.

There wasn't a warning or anything. The only thing which happened in between was the eye contact that half-scared the crap out of the young winter guardian. Now one of his new and closest friends was biting her lip so hard to hold in the tears he was frightened she'd rip her lips open.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't cry. What happened? What did you hear?"

"Nothing," Arrow shook her head profoundly, chuckling, "Nothing, it's stupid."

"If it was stupid, you wouldn't be looking like a fresh corpse."

"Ew."

"Now that's the spirit. All you need is some of my witty remarks and you're yourself again. Now, tell me what happened."

"Jack…" She whined.

"Tell me." Arrow raised her head so she could glance at the window.

"Sorry, I just can't look at you and say this – ahem – okay, I heard her voice."

**Has it been a while? I hope not! How many of you saw the Catching Fire trailer? Oh my god I'm so excited.**

**Okay, it's almost 1AM on a schoolnight…I'm off to bed. See you guys the next time I see you! **


	12. It's a LoveHate Romance

**Alas, I have finally found a way to show you how _my _Arrow looks like. This is just how I imagine her, but it doesn't mean you have to change the picture in your head! So, here's the link for a series of Arrow photos (remove the spaces). **iaryastark . tumblr DOT COM / post/57134304329/okay-guys-so-this-is-arrow-a-sim- i-made-based-off

**And just because she has the blonde braid and she's white doesn't mean she's Elsa from the upcoming movie Frozen! (Unless that's how you picture her). Well, here you have it! Chapter 12! Enjoy! - Vivien**

"You – you heard whose voice?" Jack leaned in closer, he was almost confident with his guess, but he just needed the confirmation from the speaker herself.

"Arrow – I mean, Cupid. God, I'm so freaked out right now," Green eyes met with blue eyes and they wrinkled in laughter. "She said something, something between the lines of 'You're almost there' and 'Finally following my instructions', but I don't know! What the hell is she trying to tell me? I meet my dead companion after years and years of not seeing her face in a stupid dream, and there she is trying to be my conscience? I just -" Arrow slumped her body onto the counter and hid under her tangled blonde hair.

The winter spirit, hesitant, reached over and gently rubbed the back of her head. "It was just a dream," he said reassuringly, "They weren't real! I had to fight off Pitch's dreamsand."

"_Why_ is Pitch still coming after us when he's weak?" Arrow demanded in sobs, "Is this some way of the Man in the Moon to tell me that I'm weaker, that I can be defeated by someone who is already defeated? Do I get to stop being a spirit? Because hell, I cannot wait for the day I die!"

Jack opened his mouth to say something. "And don't even say what you're about to say! 'Oh, you can't say that, you chose this life.' Yeah I know I chose this life, and I regret it now. I wish I didn't act in the moment because now my mistakes have caused me more than a lifetime. It was a stupid decision, and I regret it one hundred percent. I'd rather be dead, because at least I'm not waiting forever for a miracle to happen – which won't happen, by the way," she looked back up to meet Jack's eyes. "Be grateful, Jack. Be grateful you're a guardian."

The winter spirit was left with nothing to say, except, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, whatever. I was overreacting." A pause overcame them, but they both understood and respected each other's silence. "Come, I wanna show you something."

Her voice startled Jack. "What was that?"

"I wanna show you something – somewhere, actually." She smiled a smile of excitement; the corner of Arrow's eyes wrinkled. "I'm scared, I've never shown anyone this place before."

"How much more farther do we have to walk?" Jack complained. The two of them had been walking in forestry for the past hour. So far, Jack had not seen anything that caught his eye.

"Just a bit further," Arrow urged. She walked ahead of him with a twinkle of excitement in her eye. Jack knew this had to be something special. Even if he could not care less about what was shown to him, he will have to fake it. He cannot afford to disappoint another friend, not since the last incident with his memories and Pitch. "Do you see it? Do you see it?"

"What? I don't see anyth- Oh."

It was a cute little cottage made of logs which faced the fresh cold lake water just a few feet away. There were no windows, just a camouflaged door in the back with no visible lock. Tall trees made up the perimeter of this house, giving the owner, in this case, Arrow, plenty of privacy.

"Hey, that's pretty cool," Jack was actually interested. There was something intriguing about the house, but he wasn't able to point it out.

"You like it?" Arrow asked giddily. She was unlike her natural self. "I haven't been here for over a year."

"What is it exactly?"

Her eyebrows lowered in disappointment. "It's my home."

Jack was confused. He took a side stance. "But what about that brick one that-"

"That's Cupid's house which I took over. This, " she glanced over at the log house, "I built completely by myself. It's a bit small because I never thought I would use it."

"Well you did a pretty good job," Jack ran a hand through his hair; impressed. "Are we gonna go inside or what?"

* * *

So, this is the little kitchen I have, I don't use it often because I realized after I set it up that I can easily light my walls on fire," Arrow then points to a beanbag chair surrounded by a dozen of colourful cushions, "And that's my sitting area, I have a few books in one of the kitchen cupboards I think."

Then, her eyes diluted when they landed on a thin wooden bed frame which held a giant white mattress and matching pillows and covers. Arrow sighed in awe and breathlessly explained, "And that's my favourite place in the entire world, my bed!"

Jack chuckled at her excitement. "It's just a bed," he pointed out as he shrugged his shoulders.

Swiftly, Arrow whipped her head around; her braid following her movement. She simply stared at the winter spirit with her arms crossed and lips pursed. He was oblivious as to why he was being glared at. "Come lay down with me."

Jack couldn't help but take her words in another way. He sensed that Arrow did too; as hard as he tried to ignore it, he caught her shifting uncomfortably right when she said it.

Despite the awkwardness, he obeyed, although he couldn't believe she would suggest such a thing.

The young guardian cautiously made sure his body did not come in contact with Arrow's, however the mattress was indeed welcoming as he was engulfed by blankets and sank in deep with the cushions.

"Wow, if this is what you were trying to show me, I'll admit, it's worth it," He commented. He shut his eyes for a moment, wishing he was asleep instead staying up late with his friend.

"Look up."

Jack tilted his head up towards the ceiling and opened his eyes to hundreds of little white lights shining above him. It wasn't something he's never seen before, but the stars seemed to be shining brighter than usual tonight. Most of the times he stargazed, he stargazed alone. But now, he had a friend to share the awe with. It made him feel less…lonely.

"Wow…" He whispered breathlessly.

"I know, right?"

"Hey," the winter spirit flipped his body to face Arrow, "Your cockiness just ruined the moment."

Arrow rolled her eyes, clearly regretting the idea of bringing Jack to her hideout by the second. She had her hands behind her head and her legs crossed each other lazily. She was so relaxed, whereas Jack laid stiff like the boards of ice North stocked up in his workshop.

"Learn to differentiate between being cocky and agreeing with a statement. Who made you Guardian of Fun again?" She sneered.

"Oh yeah, that's a nice one, never heard of _that_ one before." Jack squinted at Arrow and she tried to hide the smile creeping on her face.

The warmth which emitted from the mattress calmed Jack and loosened the tension between the two. He wondered why this beautiful blonde haired girl does not spend of her life laying in this bed. He turned over to see her still with her arms behind her head, staring blankly at the stars. _So this is what it must feel like to admire the one you love. _It wasn't like Jack loved her; he just used Arrow for his own imagination. Nonetheless, he felt guilty about it and shoved the thoughts in the back of his mind.

"I'm sorry no one's heard of you before last year; I understand what you went through," She looked at him, "It may seem fun for a while, but then darker thoughts start haunting you and you realize there's no one to go to."

"I doubt you understand."

"You're right; my wife was killed in front of my eyes. Of course I have no clue what 'lonely' feels like." Arrow glared at him. "Has anyone ever told you how insensitive you are?"

"If watching someone get killed tops not knowing what your existence or purpose is for over three hundred years then hey, be my guest and argue," Jack snapped, beginning to get irritated.

"Why must you make everything about you and how much you pity yourself?"

"Me? You're the one who started this conversation!"

"I wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk, but it seems like you're not in the mood for it," Arrow gritted through her teeth.

Jack faked a laugh. "See, this is the problem with you: You try to point the bad out of everybody, yet you do the exact same thing yourself. _You're a hypocrite_. And don't deny it," He raised a finger, "Don't you _dare_ deny my words!"

"I'm not a hypocrite," She stated blankly.

"Denial is the lamest form of defense," The winter guardian smirked. They both knew it, as hard as they tried to start an argument and pretend they don't get along with each other, at the end of the day it's obvious their personalities clash and they just want to be the better out of the two.

"Whatever, you're just conceited." Arrow flopped onto her other side, "I'm going to bed." She kick-flipped her blankets until they covered her.

"Tomorrow's Valentine's day."

"I think I know my schedule, Mr Frost."

"I promised a believer you would visit them to sort things out for his family."

"It better be a nice kid," She mumbled from other the sheets.

Jack sighed. "I think you'll like him." He crossed his arms under him.

"Alright, just give me the address and I'll go."

"Actually, I was thinking I might come with you."

"And why is that?"

"Um, did you already forget that nightmare sand attacked you just a few hours back?"

…

…

…

"Right."

"I also want to pay a visit to Jamie."

"Mmph."

"I also think it'd be great if we –" He was interrupted by a light snore. Turning to his right, he saw Arrow already peacefully asleep. _It must have been a long day for her_. For some awkward reason his reflexes lead his hand to Arrow's head, and for some awkward reason he decided to stroke her hair and watch her sleep. "I also think it'd be _necessary_ – for us to tell North what happened earlier this evening." It wasn't what he had in mind to say, but he couldn't muster up the courage the second time around, even if she couldn't hear.

Spirits don't need sleep, but Jack decided to shut his eyes and get into a deep slumber anyway. It doesn't hurt to get some, is that not right?

And as much as he'd hate to admit, a part of him wanted to visit Jamie with Arrow just to spend more time with her.


End file.
